8 Old-School Dips for a Retro Party

When the holiday season rolls around, we think about the big things — turkeys, pot roast, pies — but there’s one part of the gathering that’s easy to overlook: the dips. Sure, you could open up a tub of store-bought sour cream and onion dip or hummus and call it a day, but you might be missing out on an opportunity to start your feast off with a bang.

“Making your own dip can be so easy,” says chef Jeremy Salamon. “It’s such a fun way to serve an elevated version of what we all have fond memories of.” At Pitt’s in Brooklyn, Salamon pays homage to his grandmother’s pimiento cheese sandwiches with a Gouda pimiento dip, served with fried saltines. 

At Hickory in Bristol, Virginia, chef Travis Milton serves another grandma-inspired dip — whipped Spam. “She was 99 years old and didn’t have much in the pantry, but she still found a way to throw this together,” he says. 

Milton’s version, which blends salty Spam with cream cheese and is served with pickles and saltines, is equally simple, taking only 15 minutes to prep. “Dips [like the whipped Spam] have an emotional tether that brings us to a place of celebration and togetherness, which is something we all crave in this day and age.” Here are a handful of retro dips to serve at your next dinner party.